


Pretty Little Thing

by fireflysglow_archivist



Category: Firefly
Genre: M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-06
Updated: 2007-08-06
Packaged: 2019-04-29 07:12:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14467626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireflysglow_archivist/pseuds/fireflysglow_archivist
Summary: Jayne and Simon have some inner conflicts to work through.





	Pretty Little Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Firefly’s Glow](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Firefly%27s_Glow), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Firefly's Glow collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/fireflysglow/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Post Miranda, some spoilers

  
Author's notes: Post Miranda, some spoilers  


* * *

Pretty Little Thing

## Pretty Little Thing

Pretty Little Thing 

Disclaimer: Characters not mine  
Thanks for beta help to ana_grrl! 

* * *

Jayne Cobb had never slept with a man. Back on the frontier planet where he was raised, men didn't do that with other men. Children were needed: they worked for their families, and breeding more of `em was a man's duty. Those who leant toward any other alternative were looked down upon: thrashed, and sometimes worse. Hell, Jayne'd done his share of raggin' on a few. Usually such folk went off-world as soon as they could. Their names weren't kept alive by the family they left behind. Living sly was something the decadent rich did on their comfortable Core worlds. Further out, men were men. 

Jayne had fit well into his world. The biggest and the rowdiest of the Cobb clan, he was running wild and rough as soon as he could run. He spent his formative years cussing, brawling, drinking, and whoring--with women. He only left because his size and his weapons skills promised a future potentially more lucrative, albeit likely briefer, than that offered by the dry farms or dusty mines of his home planet. He quickly found work as a hired gun, and he was good at it. 

A combination of luck and his talents kept him alive and eventually led him to Serenity. Things were good there. Mal could be a pompous pain in the ass, but he cut Jayne a fair deal and for the most part treated him square. Jayne respected Zoe even though she had a way of saying his name that brought to mind one of his childhood schoolmarms. He sat on his irritation with her twitchy little husband as best he could. He felt as warm toward Kaylee as he ever had toward a woman he wasn't related to; she reminded him a little of his sisters. The work was fairly regular and there usually was enough pay to keep him in weapons, women, and alcohol, and some left over to send home. 

And then it'd all gone to hell. Mal'd taken on four passengers at Persephone, and just like that, Jayne's world got a lot more complicated and a lot more dangerous. The Shepherd was one thing. Jayne hadn't ever questioned his religious upbringing, good old fashioned fire and brimstone every Sunday morning. It stayed with him enough to let him appreciate having a man of God aboard. But the Tams were another story. The complicating, dangerous Tams. The ridiculous doctor. His insane sister. 

The Tams were trouble, and Jayne was used to facing trouble down and shooting it. Or at least knifing it. But he couldn't do that with these two, with Mal to answer to. It was put up with them and hope the crazy one didn't do them all in, or leave the ship. The job was a good one though, better than he'd had before, and Jayne stayed. Besides, he wasn't going to be run off the ship because of the rutting Tams. But he wasn't happy. Even when the ridiculous doctor became slightly less ridiculous over time and the insane sister became slightly less insane, even if more scary. Generally he avoided them when he could and baited them when he couldn't. 

But then the Shepherd died and then Wash and the whole rutting galaxy seemed to change almost overnight, and Jayne found himself getting a certain comfort from the company of the others, including to his surprise, the doctor. Even the nutty sister irked less than she used to. There was an ease in being with those who had known who he had known, been through what he had, seen what he had. He began to count on the late night card games that happened more regular now. It was a good routine at the end of the day, a way to unwind after a job, or after a monotonous day in the black, something to look forward to. Him. Kaylee and the doctor, relaxed and teasing now that they had had their fling and come out the other side. Sometimes Inara, sometimes Mal, less often, Zoe. 

At first Jayne didn't notice the change. He wasn't a man given to self-reflection. Go-se like that was for rich folk who had time for it. So when he passed up a few opportunities to play a joke on the doctor or to make him the butt of one, he didn't consider on it too hard. When it became more important to play the cards smart, so as not to appear a fool, he didn't think through exactly why. It wasn't until one night he found himself checking himself in the mirror before leaving his bunk to join the others that he realized something was peculiar--peculiar wrong. That night as Simon laughed with Kaylee, turning to Jayne, expecting him to join in, Jayne avoided Simon's eyes. 

Lying in his bunk later, he flushed at the realization: he had a crush on the rutting doctor. Figures. He'd let his guard down, but he'd known the Tams were trouble from the start. Weren't even really his fault. Doc looked and acted enough like a girl; the sexing part of Jayne's brain had understandably gotten confused and made an honest mistake. But this was somethin' to shame a man. Wrong. What would his ma say if she found out? He could hear her voice in his head, rising in disbelief. What would his brothers have said? They'd've thrashed him proper. Rightfully so. 

Jayne knew what he would do. He would hide it and it would go away. Everything would go back to normal. And he did. He acted like nothing had changed when he was around the doctor. He visited a whore next time they were planetside. A girl whore. The sex was good, good as ever. A few weeks passed and he felt better--more in control, less like a rutting school-girl. 

Then Serenity docked at a spaceplex where Mal and Zoe were meeting up with a potential client. Inara was gone, busy with her own client. The rest had time to wander about, shopping and seeing the sights. River, Kaylee, and Simon drifted off together into the throng. Jayne found the weapons vendors and browsed through their offerings, picking out replacement ammo. A porn display caught his eye and he sauntered over. High time for some new captures for his bunk. Grinning, he fingered through the images of big-breasted women splaying their bodies, and moved on to the bin of more explicit acts. Women sucking cocks, cradling them between their swollen breasts, rubbing their hands and faces on them. This was more like it. He went to the next bin and began flipping through. Too late, he realized this bin was for the sly. Good-lookin' men kissing each other, holding each other, caressing each other, wrapping their hands and mouths around cocks... Jayne furtively flipped through a few, looking up to make sure nobody was watching him. Nobody was. He rifled through several more and left quickly, moving back into the crowd. But the images stayed with him. 

That night, after Serenity was back in space, Jayne lay in his bunk in the dark, aroused. He finally ran his hands down his stomach, slipped one around his cock, and masturbated; it was a relief. A relief to pull on himself while all those bodies still flickered through his mind, male bodies, strong arms and flat, muscled stomachs tapering down to dark hair. Male mouths taking in cocks, swallowing them in. Images of the doctor came into his head, Simon smiling up at him, Simon without a shirt, shoulders white and exposed, Simon moving against him. He flashed to wondering what it would be like to have Simon's cock in his mouth, him sucking on it, what it would feel and taste like to have Simon pushing, coming into him. Jayne's hips pushed off the bed, working convulsively, as he thrust into his hand. When he came it was wet and intense, gasping and shuddering. 

Gorram it all to hell. 

Days went by. The late night card games continued and Jayne covered his returned self-consciousness around Simon with alcohol. A few drinks and he felt expansive, back to normal, downright cheerful. If the crazy sister had sensed his secret, she didn't let on. 

On an evening when the cards had been particularly good to him, Jayne stayed on in the kitchen for a last drink. A man deserved to celebrate. He was relaxed and smug; he wouldn't be doing any chores for a month. A drunken Simon was the only one who hadn't already gone to bed after losing soundly to Jayne. Simon muzzily started to get up from the table, then laughed, reached over to grab the bottle of cheap whiskey away from Jayne, and teetered over to the couch. "Hey!" Jayne grumbled, swiping after the bottle. He got up, stretched, and followed, settling heavily beside the doctor. The lights were low and Serenity's engines could be heard humming softly. Sleepily grinning, Simon took a swig and sank back into the couch, closing his eyes. His face was flushed and his hair rumpled. Jayne took the bottle and swallowed too, then set it on the floor. The alcohol and the hour made him brave and let him overcome himself; he bent over and pressed his lips to the corner of Simon's mouth. Simon turned into the kiss and Jayne shifted closer, grunting a little as he steadied himself with a hand on Simon's shoulder. 

Simon's eyes snapped open and he shook Jayne off, standing up tipsily, but still grinning. He waggled a finger at Jayne. "I know what you're doing," he said, but he didn't sound angry, but somehow drunkenly triumphant, "and I'm not going to fall for it!" Jayne stared up at him, disconcerted, ashamed, breathing hard: "What?" "You're playing a trick on me! Trying to get a response so you and Mal can spend the next few months or so laughing at me! Well," he slurred, eyes sparkling with self-satisfaction, "this time I'm too smart for you. No fun for you at my expense! Good night!" He turned and wobbled toward his quarters, giggling a little as he went. 

Jayne sat on the couch for a while, his breathing slowing back to normal, staring blankly at a spot on the wall. Then he ran his hands over his face, stood up, and made his way toward his own bunk, a good deal steadier than Simon had done. 

* * *

Simon Tam had never slept with a man. He had nothing against the idea; members of his own family were happily coupled with same sex spouses. But Simon had been intense and focused all through his youth, putting his energies into his studies rather than into pursuing pleasure or intimacy. Attracted by his good looks, a few women had gotten past his awkward social skills and he had had sex, but the relationships never lasted long. Kaylee had been one of the longest and that had been pretty much over in less than a month. 

Simon didn't mind. Sex and relationships complicated things. Look at Kaylee. He was just glad they were able to be friends now; it would have been hurtful if he'd lost that. Now he was able to concentrate on his work and his sister without guilt or distraction. He was content with his life on Serenity, more than he ever would have thought possible. River was healing and the Alliance no longer pursued them. There was time for research, there was the occasional minor medical challenge when one of the crew got themselves shot up, knifed, or pummeled, and there was the camaraderie he felt with those who had survived Miranda. He looked forward to the late night card games with the crew, a good way to wind down after a long day. He liked that the get-togethers sometimes drew River away from the ship's helm. He liked laughing with Kaylee and the others. Even Jayne's company kind of grew on one. Kind of. 

He was used to Jayne's crudeness by now and didn't really mind the pleasure Jayne took in baiting him. So when Jayne kissed him and he'd gotten away, he thought no more of it. He'd evaded yet another practical joke, and if Simon remembered it at all, it was with satisfaction at foiling the big man's latest attempt to ridicule him. 

The days passed. Simon's world went on as before. He didn't notice that Jayne's manner was a little more stilted around him. 

A week or so later a virus made its round of the crew, taking each out for several days. Simon was kept busy trotting to and fro with drinks and fever reducers, but there was little else he could do but let the disease run its course. He caught it last of all, and by the time the rest were up and about, he was curled up on his bunk sweating. By the second day he felt well enough to sit up and read. In the mid-afternoon all was quiet on board. River sat on the floor in the corner of his room, legs tucked up under her, drawing peacefully. Jayne stuck his head in suddenly, unannounced, eyeing River warily. "Hey. Wanna' play cards?" Simon looked up, pleased that the other man seemed to be doing an actually thoughtful thing. A diversion was welcome. 

It didn't turn out to be much of a diversion. Jayne stayed for a few hands and then left, having offered little to no conversation, and barely meeting Simon's attempts at any. He exited as quickly as he'd come, grunting something about a workout. Simon returned to his text. Some moments later, River stood up and came to sit on the bed. Simon smiled and put his arm around her, taking her tablet. "What did you draw?" Toroids on the page intersected in dizzying waves of lines. "Dimensions." She nodded her head at the door: "Afraid you'll find out." Simon followed her gaze. Again? "Jayne? Afraid I'll find out what?" River shook her head and snorted amusedly, deftly stealing her pad from his grasp. "That's for you to find out!" She ran lightly out of the room, leaving Simon looking after her, disturbed. 

Afraid he'd find out... find out what? It must not be anything too serious or River would have tried harder to tell him. Even after his illness had faded, Simon had plenty of time to muse on her words. His daily routine wasn't so engrossing that he didn't have plenty of moments to reflect and wonder. River offered no more information than she had the first day. Simon watched Jayne carefully, but nothing seemed too different. Maybe Jayne avoided his eyes a little, fidgeted more, chewed a little harder on his cigar than he remembered? It was hard to say. Simon did notice that Jayne didn't hang around after the group card sessions any more; there was no more late night drinking. 

And that was what finally clued Simon in. The last time Jayne had kicked back and hung out with him was the time he had tried to kiss Simon. Could it actually be he hadn't been trying to set Simon up for a fall? Could Jayne possibly have been serious? The idea was so discomfiting that Simon's brain shied away from it for a few days. At one point River looked full on at him and laughed, nodding, without saying a word. Simon felt his suspicions were confirmed. His mind reeled. Dear God, the whole scenario was just so weird! 

Weird also was Simon's realization that it was not as repulsive as he imagined he once would have found it. Certainly not as repulsive as he would have viewed it in his first months on Serenity. 

And oddly, Simon was kind of moved. Like everyone else, he knew the difference between Core values and Rim values. He knew Jayne would have had a difficult time admitting to, much less acting on, any attraction for a man. It went a long way toward explaining all the awkwardness and Jayne's change in behavior, now so apparent in retrospect. 

Huh. 

He began to watch Jayne, looking at him in a different light. It was a strange exercise, and he couldn't quite believe he was eyeing Jayne in that way. Jayne was uncouth, vulgar, coarse, and every other synonym Simon could think of for boorish. The word scabrous came to mind too. And Jayne was uneducated. But Simon knew him well enough by now to also know that he was smart in his own way, and his talents had helped save them over and again. And there had to be a softer side somewhere: Simon knew Jayne sent money home. And not bad to look at. Simon hadn't spent a lot of time contemplating sex with a man, but he could see that Jayne's body would be an interesting one with which to make that leap. 

Huh. 

There was the question of the captain and crew. He didn't think Mal would look too kindly on him moving on to another crewmember, potentially introducing more drama into their lives. He didn't know if Kaylee would be alright with him taking up with Jayne. He didn't know if it would be fair to Jayne: what did he, Simon, want? What did Jayne want? Sex? More? And then Simon's mind would skitter away again from the topic, aghast that he was even dwelling on it. It was Jayne Cobb after all, man of dubious ethics, unending crudities, and a history with Simon and River that contained all sorts of unpleasantness. 

Torn on the horns of his dilemma, not knowing what he wanted or what was best for all, Simon finally acted in a way unlike his usual self, in the way that Jayne had: on impulse. He'd changed for the night and gone to say goodnight to River as she delicately balanced in what he would always think of as Wash's seat. Simon chided her to think of bed soon. He turned and left, passing the entrances to the crew quarters. He stopped suddenly and looked behind him. River wasn't watching him. Before he could second-guess himself, he knocked on Jayne's hatch. "`s open!" he heard bellowed. Simon swallowed hard and went below. 

Jayne watched him descend, his face closed, not looking all that happy to see Simon. Simon stood in the middle of the floor and pushed a piece of hair back from his eyes. The room was dim. Jayne, in t-shirt and shorts, toothbrush in hand, obviously had also been getting ready for bed. "I..." He stopped, unsure of what to say or what he intended. The display of armaments caught his eye. "You've never showed me your guns. I don't know the differences between them." Jayne's face eased, not questioning Simon's sudden and improbable interest in his weaponry. "Heh. That's showing some sense, now! Alright, show and tell, then." 

Simon sat on the bunk and watched as Jayne began pulling down his guns, explaining details Simon could neither fathom nor remember. Jayne ran his hands down barrels and across stocks and triggers, talking happily of grips, ammo, composite materials, sighting, and range, carefully putting one piece back, only to bring down yet another. Simon watched him and slowly relaxed. Jayne in his own environment, displaying his own expertise, was strangely compelling. As Simon watched Jayne, he heard the thought pop into his head: This is right, feels natural. 

Jayne had Vera in his hands now, a tender gaze fixed upon her as he discussed her attributes. Simon reached out and lay his own hand on Jayne's forearm. Jayne's skin was warm under his palm, the muscles flexed with the weight of the gun. Jayne's voice faltered and his eyes widened, staring at Simon. Simon stretched forward and up, brushing Jayne's lips with his, and pulled back, his eyes fixed on Jayne's face. Jayne blinked and caught his breath audibly, looking suddenly vulnerable. Vera was lying awkward in his hands now. Simon grinned and moved closer, raising his body, leaning in over the gun, pressing his hands against Jayne's shoulders, his thumbs grazing the base of Jayne's neck. He rubbed his jaw against Jayne's and bent his head, catching the smell of warm skin, and lust stirred. Simon moved his lips against Jayne's mouth, opening Jayne's. Simon lost himself in the kiss, no longer thinking. 

Bending slightly without looking, holding onto Simon with one arm, Jayne used the other to carefully lower Vera to the floor and push her gently out of the way. 

* * *

Doc's coming down to his quarters had left Jayne more than a little taken aback. Just about the only visitor he'd ever had there was Mal, sometimes with Zoe, intent on discussing details for some upcoming job. When Simon said he wanted to see Jayne's guns, Jayne was only too happy. Guns were easy; their familiar heft in his hands as he explained them was reassuring, allowing him to keep talking past his nerves. Why was Simon here? In his pajamas? Soft-looking, touchable-looking pajamas... gorram it. 

Then Simon kissed him. And that about near floored him. It was surprising and it was sexy and it was warm and wet and hard all at once. It didn't occur to Jayne to think Simon was pulling some sort of stunt like the one he'd accused Jayne of. Despite the history between them, Jayne had come to trust the doctor. 

Vera safely settled, Jayne wrapped his other arm around Simon, who was half kneeling beside him on the bunk. He leaned back and pulled the smaller man into him, relaxing into the kiss. A little different to kiss a man than a woman; stubble for one. But good. Jayne could hear both their kissing and Simon's occasional gasps as he drew away to breathe. His own breath came ragged and his heart was hammering. His face was hot and when he finally broke away to rub it against Simon's neck he felt the sweat on both of them. He nuzzled in, nudging open-mouthed down to the collarbone, catching the skin between his teeth, tasting Simon's skin. Simon moaned softly, his face pressed into Jayne's hair, hands gripping Jayne's shoulders. Jayne stroked his hands up and down Simon's back, rubbing the patterns of muscle and bone. He lifted Simon's top over his head, pulling it off. In front of him were the bare shoulders he'd been seeing in his mind these many weeks, looking all tempting and biteable. Shiny. He pulled his own shirt off. 

Jayne ran his palms from Simon's shoulders down to the planes of his stomach, gripping the edge of hip beneath the pajamas. A wet spot darkened the fabric, one Jayne knew was mirrored on him. Simon was breathing hard now. Jayne looked up at him, a little unsure now that this moment was here. He'd thought on it more than once since that first night in his bunk and he'd had this done to him a lot... it couldn't be that complicated... Gruffly he said "I ain't never done this. Tell me if I do somethin' wrong." He caught the glint of Simon's teeth as Simon nodded and sat back, supporting his weight on his arms. Jayne lowered his head. Facial hair scraped along Simon's belly as Jayne moved his mouth slowly down along the line from navel to groin, pushing the pajamas down as he went. Simon's erection popped free. Jayne eyed it, working his fingers into the dark hair surrounding it. He bent, inhaling musk and sweat, and his own cock twitched, aching. Jayne pushed his face into Simon's crotch, spreading his legs further, exploring, moving Simon's balls between his lips. He reached up and wrapped one hand around the shaft of Simon's penis, using the wetness dripped there to slide his hand up and over the head. Simon was watching him, mouth slightly open, tongue pressed to one side. "yes..." His face was splotched with red, his hips tensed. Jayne moved up from between the doctor's legs and took Simon's cock into his mouth, head bobbing as he found an angle that worked. He grunted as he got it right; setting a rhythm that, from the sounds Simon was making and the way he was pushing forward, seemed to be pleasing. Jayne worked his tongue and hand on Simon, keeping to the rhythm, moving his head up and down. Gasps and pushing hips let him know Simon was about to come, and Jayne increased his pace. Simon's hands were gripping the sheet, knuckles white. Short, hot pulses of come hit the roof of Jayne's already-full mouth; he choked a little and then swallowed, still pumping his hand up and down. When Simon fell back, chest heaving, Jayne stayed a few moments, enjoying the feel of the softening cock in his mouth. He let it slide out as he moved back up, pressing his mouth into dark hair again, then belly, then chest, then neck. 

Simon cupped Jayne's head in his hands and kissed him, still panting, nearly purring. He pushed away to catch his breath, head thrown back, chest sweaty, and then flipped over, pressing Jayne down to the bed. Jayne smiled, grunting softly. He'd heard it was better to give than receive, but he'd an idea that receiving was going to be pretty damned good. He ran his fingers along the doctor's temples, stroking back the hair, something he'd been itching to do for a while. Simon leaned down to kiss him lightly and with a mischievous twitch of his lips, rubbing his body over the bigger man's, wriggled down, reaching to tug Jayne's shorts off. Jayne lay back and fell into the sensations that followed: soft hair brushing against his stomach, deft hands pressing into his groin, full lips and hot mouth opening for his cock. 

* * *

Jayne awoke to two novel and pleasurable things. One was a pair of bright blue eyes peering at him from under dark brows, only inches from his face. The other was a cup of hot tea waiting by his bunk. "Hey" Simon smiled down at him. He was dressed in last night's pajamas, on hands and knees, straddling Jayne in the narrow bed. "It's morning. I went up to check on River and brought you back some breakfast." He waved a protein bar in front of Jayne's nose. Jayne struggled up on his elbows, reaching for the tea. Simon sat back, settling with his knees on either side of Jayne's waist. "A man could get used to this," Jayne yawned. "Eat the protein bar too, you're going to need it." Jayne looked down to see Simon's pajamas tenting as Simon thrust forward a little, pushing into his own morning semi-erection. Heat washed over Jayne as his cock went rigid. He gulped at the tea and tore the bar's package open, answering Simon's grin with a low, happy growl. 

* * *

Some years later Serenity's path took them near Jayne's home world. Jayne, Simon, and River got dropped off near the Cobb homestead. Jayne waited for a time when he was alone with his ma. It came while Simon and River were in the yard, a young Cobb proudly showing them the litter of a bitch who'd just whelped. Jayne's stomach tightened. This was worse than Reavers. "Ma." She looked over. Her face had changed since he'd seen her last, its strong lines sagging with age. He nodded his head in the direction of the yard. "Wanted to tell you... I've got myself... involved." His mother looked through the window. "Huh. Well. She don't seem too sturdy, but she's a pretty little thing." Jayne grimaced. River had never stopped making him fidgety. "Not that one. She's with the cap'n." He still found that whole concept powerful unsettling, but Simon seemed happy enough about it. "The other." Her face shifted, staring at him blankly, mouth slack. "Jayne. That... Don't..." He crossed his arms, face stony. 

Jayne's mother looked away, gaze drifting around the faded room, and then back at her son. He looked as stubborn and ornery as ever. He was a good boy though, always remembered them. He'd even shown up wearing the hat she'd made him some years back, it'd warmed her heart to know it'd been of use to him. She turned back to the window, looking into the yard. The doctor was carefully holding his expensive-looking jacket close to his body, stepping delicately around piles of dog droppings scattered in the dirt. She'd gotten to know Simon a little while he gave her some doctoring. "Huh," she repeated. "Well. He's a pretty little thing too, ain't he. And sturdy enough it seems." Without looking, she could sense Jayne relax behind her. "Yeah ma." She turned and moved toward the stove. "Well. Tell the others it's gettin' to be time to eat." 

* * *

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title:   **Pretty Little Thing**   
Author:   **galenlisle**   [website]   
Details:   **Standalone**  |  **NC-17**  |  ***slash***  |  **26k**  |  **08/06/07**   
Characters:  Jayne, Simon   
Pairings:  J/S   
Summary:  Jayne and Simon have some inner conflicts to work through.   
Notes:  Post Miranda; some spoilers   
  



End file.
